What do private investigators do? A day in the life

Life as a private investigator isn’t what you’d expect – sometimes it’s even more bizarre.

Aug 12, 2019 3:15pm

By Take 5 team

Natalija, 28, from Lipstick Investigations in Sydney tells Take 5’s Mitchell Jordan what it’s really like to be a private investigator.

I raced to my car and started the ignition.

Pulling out onto the street, I followed the vehicle in front of me, keeping an eye on it from a distance before it stopped in front of a house.

My heart pounded as I watched the male driver get out of the car and embrace a woman, then they started to kiss.

Gotcha! I thought, filming them on my camera.

I've been working as a private investigator at Lipstick Investigations since I was 21 and there's no better feeling than discovering the truth for my clients – even if it meant telling them something they didn't want to hear.

It had always been a dream of mine to be a private eye.

Other people's lives fascinated me and this was a chance to dig deeper.

As a teenager, I'd sit in front of the TV, fixated by my favourite show, Veronica Mars.

I envied young Veronica, who helped her father investigate cases.

"That's what I want to do!" I told Mum and Dad.

They always encouraged me to follow my dreams, so after finishing school I enrolled in an Investigative Services course at TAFE.

"The job isn't as glamorous as you might expect," teachers warned me.

But I wasn't in it for the supposed mystique; I just wanted to do something I was passionate about and help people in their search for answers.

I love nothing better than uncovering the truth for my clients. (Image exclusive to Take 5)